NationStates Jolt Archive

A couple of days ago I met with an old friend who I haven't seen in ages, during our lunch she began talking to me about how she has managed to put her life back together (she was a wild child in her hey-day) and she gave me a copy of this book that she says helped. Its called Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard.

Since the thing was HUGE I decided I would do a little digging on the internet to get the book in miniature.

After reading several pages on the Wiki about how it is the "holy book" for lack of a better word for an alien cult called Scientology I am in a small state of shock.

I can't mesh the images of an evil alien cult with my now stable friend who is now just, drop-dead normal.

Anyone got any advice?

Eat pie. Pie is tasty.

Your friend is crazy.

Not of the just-a-little-bit-crazy kind, but the stark-raving-bonkers kind.

Sorry. :)

Here's some advice. Don't waste your time reading it. Eat your vegetables, don't smoke, drink in moderation, keep out of trouble, and don't join weird cults. That's all the advice I've got for you today.

A couple of days ago I met with an old friend who I haven't seen in ages, during our lunch she began talking to me about how she has managed to put her life back together (she was a wild child in her hey-day) and she gave me a copy of this book that she says helped. Its called Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard.

Since the thing was HUGE I decided I would do a little digging on the internet to get the book in miniature.

After reading several pages on the Wiki about how it is the "holy book" for lack of a better word for an alien cult called Scientology I am in a small state of shock.

I can't mesh the images of an evil alien cult with my now stable friend who is now just, drop-dead normal.

Anyone got any advice?


burn it before you lose your soul and mind and become part of a cult ?

Here's some advice. Don't waste your time reading it. Eat your vegetables, don't smoke, drink in moderation, keep out of trouble, and don't join weird cults. That's all the advice I've got for you today.

And pie, like Cluich said. I recommend apple, now that it's September.

A couple of days ago I met with an old friend who I haven't seen in ages, during our lunch she began talking to me about how she has managed to put her life back together (she was a wild child in her hey-day) and she gave me a copy of this book that she says helped. Its called Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard.

Since the thing was HUGE I decided I would do a little digging on the internet to get the book in miniature.

After reading several pages on the Wiki about how it is the "holy book" for lack of a better word for an alien cult called Scientology I am in a small state of shock.

I can't mesh the images of an evil alien cult with my now stable friend who is now just, drop-dead normal.

Anyone got any advice?

Out of curiosity, do you feel this same way toward friends who believe in the teachings of the Bible?

I mean, the Bible talks about magical zombies and talking snakes and cannibalism and all sorts of strange things. Most of us (on this forum) grew up surrounded by Christian mythology, so we don't find it particularly strange, but can you imagine how it would sound to somebody who had never encountered it before? Probably about as odd as Scientology sounds to you.

I find it difficult to believe that the OP has never heard of Hubbard, Dianetics or Scientology. Could it be another Scientologist mole? We've had them before.

A couple of days ago I met with an old friend who I haven't seen in ages, during our lunch she began talking to me about how she has managed to put her life back together (she was a wild child in her hey-day) and she gave me a copy of this book that she says helped. Its called Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard.

Since the thing was HUGE I decided I would do a little digging on the internet to get the book in miniature.

After reading several pages on the Wiki about how it is the "holy book" for lack of a better word for an alien cult called Scientology I am in a small state of shock.

I can't mesh the images of an evil alien cult with my now stable friend who is now just, drop-dead normal.

Anyone got any advice?

I'm going to go against the advice of some others here. Read it. Underline the outrageous passages. Discuss with your friend. Get labled a PTS and disconnected.

Out of curiosity, do you feel this same way toward friends who believe in the teachings of the Bible?

I mean, the Bible talks about magical zombies and talking snakes and cannibalism and all sorts of strange things. Most of us (on this forum) grew up surrounded by Christian mythology, so we don't find it particularly strange, but can you imagine how it would sound to somebody who had never encountered it before? Probably about as odd as Scientology sounds to you.


At least we have proof that dianetics was written by a crook and a fraud who lined his pockets with the money of idiots.

Edit: Does Dianetics deal with Xenu and the Thetans?

Excorsisms. That will cleanse the scientologist spirits from her. If you'll mail me five hundred dollars for the supplies, I'll perform it myself.

And pie, like Cluich said. I recommend apple, now that it's September.

Yeah, pie. Whether it's savory chicken pot pie or other meat-based pies or sweet pies like my personal favorite, sweet potato pie, eat plenty of pie.

I find it difficult to believe that the OP has never heard of Hubbard, Dianetics or Scientology. Could it be another Scientologist mole? We've had them before.

First of all I'm a Buddhist, second of all what is OP?

I've never read any of Hubbard's science fiction, are they any good? You might at least get some entertainment from it.

I was given a copy of The Urantia Book at Christmas and was frankly taken aback, knowing the giver. Another "aliens did it all, spiritually and physically" tome.

At least we have proof that dianetics was written by a crook and a fraud who lined his pockets with the money of idiots.

Also, Christianity, at heart, has a good message. Love thy neighbour, feed the hunger, free the oppressed, all that crap. If we figure out what spiritual value, if any, Scientology has, we'll let you know.

First of all I'm a Buddhist, second of all what is OP?

Original poster

First of all I'm a Buddhist, second of all what is OP?

OP = original poster

Oh, and pie...mmm...pie...

First of all I'm a Buddhist, second of all what is OP?

The "Original Post," the one you open the thread with.

First of all I'm a Buddhist, second of all what is OP?

Original Poster. You.

Original Poster.

Do you know kung-fu?

OP = original poster

Oh, and pie...mmm...pie...

Curses!

The huge difference between the weirdness of Christianity and Scientology is that Scientology is OBVIOUSLY bullshit. The guy was once quoted to say something along the lines of "If you wanna get rich, just invent your own religion".

Not to mention the fact that it came out of fucking nowhere from just one dude who has a bunch of collected bullshit sayings and an E-Meter.

Trilby63;11685050']Original Poster.

Do you know kung-fu?

Don't ask silly questions like that of a Buddhist! The correct question is has he ever lit himself on fire to protest something!

I've never read any of Hubbard's science fiction, are they any good? You might at least get some entertainment from it.

I was given a copy of The Urantia Book at Christmas and was frankly taken aback, knowing the giver. Another "aliens did it all, spiritually and physically" tome.

Well, the movie BASED on his sci-fi was atrocious. I've heard that his stuff is pretty bad. Seriously, I'm sure that the stuff I come up with when I'm bored is much better.

The huge difference between the weirdness of Christianity and Scientology is that Scientology is OBVIOUSLY bullshit. The guy was once quoted to say something along the lines of "If you wanna get rich, just invent your own religion".

Not to mention the fact that it came out of fucking nowhere from just one dude who has a bunch of collected bullshit sayings and an E-Meter.

I hate to say it, but Christianity is also obviously bullshit, it's just not as obvious to as many people.

I hate to say it, but Christianity is also obviously bullshit, it's just not as obvious to as many people.

It's not AS obvious. If Christianity just popped up within the last century, then yes, it would be equally as obvious, but it was 2000 years ago. There's the benefit of the doubt for you.

Yeah, pie. Whether it's savory chicken pot pie or other meat-based pies or sweet pies like my personal favorite, sweet potato pie, eat plenty of pie.

mmm... pie... hungry...:D

MMMMMMMMMMM pie ...pie is good .



if you do join or get kidnapped ...tell us the secret hanshake and what the spaceship looks like for real .

First of all I'm a Buddhist, second of all what is OP?

OP in $cientology terms means "oppressive person". It's a label given to people who speak out against the cult.

It's not AS obvious. If Christianity just popped up within the last century, then yes, it would be equally as obvious, but it was 2000 years ago. There's the benefit of the doubt for you.

Yeah, so 2000 years from now, people will think of Scientology as they do Christianity. Scary!

At least we have proof that dianetics was written by a crook and a fraud who lined his pockets with the money of idiots.

There are people who will say that we have proof that the Bible as we know it was written by the Catholic Church and has been used for centuries to consolidate power and amass riches.

I don't happen to believe that Hubbard was a genuine prophet of any kind. I also don't believe that the Bible was originally written for malicious purposes, or with the clear intent to exploit people. All I'm saying is that a little perspective may be in order. Some people think Scientology is very obviously nuts; some of us feel precisely the same way about the myths of the mainstream religions.


Edit: Does Dianetics deal with Xenu and the Thetans?
I'm honestly not sure where all that stuff is written up.

Yeah, so 2000 years from now, people will think of Scientology as they do Christianity. Scary!

Hopefully we'll have a crusade against them before then. =)

Hopefully we'll have a crusade against them before then. =)
It will pass. It doesn't have enough international power. Plus, there are just too many fundamenalists standing in its way. Those Islamic fundies will break it.

Yeah, so 2000 years from now, people will think of Scientology as they do Christianity. Scary!

Unless Scientology is wiped out to the point where all that is left to history is a few obsure names like what happened to Mithraism and Manichaeism.

Hopefully we'll have a crusade against them before then. =)

Yikes. Well, good news is, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster will soon become a major world religion!

MMMMMMMMMMM pie ...pie is good .



if you do join or get kidnapped ...tell us the secret hanshake and what the spaceship looks like for real .

It's already been leaked that the spaceship looks like a DC8.
http://i10.tinypic.com/2wp59ol.jpg

Unless Scientology is wiped out to the point where all that is left to history is a few obsure names like what happened to Mithraism and Manichaeism.
If you want to wipe it out... have the Christians make a deal with the terrorists, so that they (the Taliban and Al Qaeda) specifically target just the $cientologists, and watch the religion crumble...

Hopefully we'll have a crusade against them before then. =)

No crusades! No persecutions! That's what they want, a bit of persecution so they can portray themselves as victims of an evil, oppressive secular regime. I say just ignore them, perhaps make gentle fun of them, and educate people so they don't fall prey to this kind of scam.

No crusades! No persecutions! That's what they want, a bit of persecution so they can portray themselves as victims of an evil, oppressive secular regime. I say just ignore them, perhaps make gentle fun of them, and educate people so they don't fall prey to this kind of scam.

:( But... but I wanna stab Tom Cruise through the heart with a claymore...

:( But... but I wanna stab Tom Cruise through the heart with a claymore...
Nah... I'd rather make him watch the South Park episode where they make fun of his stupid religion over and over, so that he has nightmares about Stan saying, "Mom, Tom Cruise won't come out of the closet!"

The huge difference between the weirdness of Christianity and Scientology is that Scientology is OBVIOUSLY bullshit. The guy was once quoted to say something along the lines of "If you wanna get rich, just invent your own religion".

The Torah says that the omnipotent, omnicient, all-good Creator of the universe is extremely concerned about whether or not I'm wearing a cotton-poly blend.

The Bible says that the omnipotent, omnicient, all-good Creator of the universe solves His problems by getting His offspring tortured to death.

The Sahih Bukhari (one of the major Hadiths for Sunni Muslims) says that the omnipotent, omnicient, all-good Creator of the universe will drop a mountain on you if you wear silk or play musical instruments.

I guess people differ in our opinions of what is "obviously" bullshit.

The Torah says that the omnipotent, omnicient, all-good Creator of the universe is extremely concerned about whether or not I'm wearing a cotton-poly blend.

The Bible says that the omnipotent, omnicient, all-good Creator of the universe solves His problems by getting His offspring tortured to death.

The Sahih Bukhari (one of the major Hadiths for Sunni Muslims) says that the omnipotent, omnicient, all-good Creator of the universe will drop a mountain on you if you wear silk or play musical instruments.

I guess people differ in our opinions of what is "obviously" bullshit.

I wish I could live long enough to see humanity outgrow all these imaginary friends.

well one major differance between all those and scientology is that unlike jesus moses and muhammed, L Ron actually bet a number of other science fiction writers he could invent a religion at a poker game at Isaac asimov's house.

And if you are gonna say "but those guys didnt write the bible the torah or the koran" then fine

THe council of hippo, a collection of yahwehists during the original diaspora, and the muslims of the abbasid caliphate didnt bet a bunch of science fiction writers they could invent a religion at a poker game at Isaac Asimov's house.

There are people who will say that we have proof that the Bible as we know it was written by the Catholic Church and has been used for centuries to consolidate power and amass riches.


Ok, I'm not taking a side on weither or not the Bible is correct, but I would like to point out that the vast majority of the people actualy working in the field of biblical history disagree with that assesment as most of the gospels can be dated through archelogical evidence to before the Catholic Church exist, meaning before it actually exist not when it claims to have existed.

Edit: Does Dianetics deal with Xenu and the Thetans?

WARNING: The CO$ teaches that learning about the following if you can make you ill and even cause death.


Nope that comes with the super sekrit OT III leve.
http://www.xenu.net/archive/OTIII-scholar/spaink-ot3.html

It's not until OT VII that you're supposed to learn that your body is entierly composed of Thetans.
http://skull.piratehaven.org/~atman/factnet/abtnots.txt



First of all I'm a Buddhist, second of all what is OP?

OP in $cientology terms means "oppressive person". It's a label given to people who speak out against the cult.

SP (Suppressive Person) not OP. http://www.whatisscientology.org/Html/Part14/Chp50/pg1024.html

One of the 2.5-5% of the population who are basically actively evil - Hitler being given as a prime example.
http://www.whatisscientology.org/html/part04/chp17/pg0288-a.html

Anyhow, the context here was clear that it was original poster.

Oh, and for any one wondering, the PTS I mentioned above = Potential Trouble Source - a "person who is in some way connected to and being adversely affected by a suppressive person. Such a person is called a potential trouble source because he can be a lot of trouble to himself and to others." I was considered a PTS by my former friend before nbeinmg disconnected, because I poked all sorts of holes in the "logic" of Dianetics, asked akward questions about Lisa McPhearson, and so on.

Ok, I'm not taking a side on weither or not the Bible is correct, but I would like to point out that the vast majority of the people actualy working in the field of biblical history disagree with that assesment as most of the gospels can be dated through archelogical evidence to before the Catholic Church exist, meaning before it actually exist not when it claims to have existed.A large number of the works of William Shakespeare are actually re-tellings of folk stories and legends that were around long before he was born.

The fact that many myths in the Bible predate the existence of the Church is not in dispute (at least not by me). However, the question is why the modern Bible was written and by whom. It is possible to take a very old story and revamp it for one's own purposes. It's not always sinister or malicious to do so.

It's kind of like how Christmas is actually a fusion of many different religious traditions, many of which predate Christianity by hundreds or thousands of years. You can take an existing tradition and rework it for different purposes.

Ok, I'm not taking a side on weither or not the Bible is correct, but I would like to point out that the vast majority of the people actualy working in the field of biblical history disagree with that assesment as most of the gospels can be dated through archelogical evidence to before the Catholic Church exist, meaning before it actually exist not when it claims to have existed.

I don't know about the archaeology directly providing evidence for composition, but I have read that all four were written between about 50 AD and 100 AD, though precise dates are difficult to come up with and there's a lot of debate. The order seems to be Mark, Matthew, Luke and John.

The Church does claim to have begun when Jesus told Peter that he was the Rock upon which it would be built, so ... but like you said, that's their claim.

It is my personal theory that people who are insecure and have trouble managing their lives benefit a great deal from very controlling religions. These religions tell them what to do and how to behave and this provides a structure within which rudder-less individuals thrive. The military often serves the same purpose of grounding people and teaching them how to live and function in society.

As long as those religions do not impose themselves on individuals who choose other paths or are un-religious, then I have no problem with them.

Coast

The Torah says that the omnipotent, omnicient, all-good Creator of the universe is extremely concerned about whether or not I'm wearing a cotton-poly blend.

The Bible says that the omnipotent, omnicient, all-good Creator of the universe solves His problems by getting His offspring tortured to death.

The Sahih Bukhari (one of the major Hadiths for Sunni Muslims) says that the omnipotent, omnicient, all-good Creator of the universe will drop a mountain on you if you wear silk or play musical instruments.

I guess people differ in our opinions of what is "obviously" bullshit.

Yes but I'm not questioning the CONTENT of the bullshit, but the level of reasonable doubt garnered through nothing but popularity and distance in time between now and when the things supposedly happened.

In these terms, Scientology is MUCH more obviously bullshit, because all of his proclamations happened during recent and recorded history.

A large number of the works of William Shakespeare are actually re-tellings of folk stories and legends that were around long before he was born.

The fact that many myths in the Bible predate the existence of the Church is not in dispute (at least not by me). However, the question is why the modern Bible was written and by whom. It is possible to take a very old story and revamp it for one's own purposes. It's not always sinister or malicious to do so.

It's kind of like how Christmas is actually a fusion of many different religious traditions, many of which predate Christianity by hundreds or thousands of years. You can take an existing tradition and rework it for different purposes.
I wasn't refering to the bible as a whole just the Christian Testement, and the thing is we have copies of a number of those, meaning a number of the diferent books not a lot of each there arent that many copies and admitaply they are not in my understanding necesarily compleat, in a variety of conditions from well before the council were they were finalized. Indeed we even have lists refering to "canon" books most of which appeared in the version that was later confirmed showing up a while before the Church ever got involved, heck from before the church had even escaped perscution as an illegal sect.

It is my personal theory that people who are insecure and have trouble managing their lives benefit a great deal from very controlling religions. These religions tell them what to do and how to behave and this provides a structure within which rudder-less individuals thrive. The military often serves the same purpose of grounding people and teaching them how to live and function in society.

As long as those religions do not impose themselves on individuals who choose other paths or are un-religious, then I have no problem with them.

Coast

Welcome to NS General. I agree with what you say about what religion does for people. The trouble is, a great many of them have such a narrow view of the world that they do attempt to impose themselves on people who are following another path. All in the name of saving the wayward one from various flavors of eternal torment, or to help the wayward to bliss in the afterlife, of course.

I don't know about the archaeology directly providing evidence for composition, but I have read that all four were written between about 50 AD and 100 AD, though precise dates are difficult to come up with and there's a lot of debate. The order seems to be Mark, Matthew, Luke and John.

The Church does claim to have begun when Jesus told Peter that he was the Rock upon which it would be built, so ... but like you said, that's their claim.
Than there is also the hypothetical Q source, which some theorize is where the sections in Mathew and Luke that match up, but which aren't in Mark come from.

Than there is also the hypothetical Q source, which some theorize is where the sections in Mathew and Luke that match up, but which aren't in Mark come from.

It's been a while since I've studied the question. I didn't mean to imply there was a single thread involved here.

It's been a while since I've studied the question. I didn't mean to imply there was a single thread involved here.

Oh, I wasn't taking it that way just expanding on what you said.

A couple of days ago I met with an old friend who I haven't seen in ages, during our lunch she began talking to me about how she has managed to put her life back together (she was a wild child in her hey-day) and she gave me a copy of this book that she says helped. Its called Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard.

Since the thing was HUGE I decided I would do a little digging on the internet to get the book in miniature.

After reading several pages on the Wiki about how it is the "holy book" for lack of a better word for an alien cult called Scientology I am in a small state of shock.

I can't mesh the images of an evil alien cult with my now stable friend who is now just, drop-dead normal.

Anyone got any advice?

It's no surprise that anyone can get their life together, if they just do it.

It has nothing to do with the book, which is trash.

You might as well go out and buy, "Diuretics: The Science of Matter Over Mind"

Oh, I wasn't taking it that way just expanding on what you said.

I realized that as I hit the "submit reply" button and got interrupted. I do find biblical analysis fascinating.

The Torah says that the omnipotent, omnicient, all-good Creator of the universe is extremely concerned about whether or not I'm wearing a cotton-poly blend.

The Bible says that the omnipotent, omnicient, all-good Creator of the universe solves His problems by getting His offspring tortured to death.

The Sahih Bukhari (one of the major Hadiths for Sunni Muslims) says that the omnipotent, omnicient, all-good Creator of the universe will drop a mountain on you if you wear silk or play musical instruments.

I guess people differ in our opinions of what is "obviously" bullshit.



You can do that with anything, regardless of how true it may or may not be.

Science says that my parents were monkeys.

"Obviously" bullshit.

Except, science doesn't even really say that, does it...

The Church does claim to have begun when Jesus told Peter that he was the Rock upon which it would be built, so ... but like you said, that's their claim.


Much of the Church does not believe that Peter is the "Rock" nor that the church was built upon him and instead believes that Peter is a "pebble" or "stone" and the Rock is Jesus.

The Roman Catholic Church believes Peter is the Rock.

You can do that with anything, regardless of how true it may or may not be.

Science says that my parents were monkeys.

"Obviously" bullshit.

Except, science doesn't even really say that, does it...
The Torah contains a passage describing how God specifically forbids the wearing of mixed fabrics. The story of Jesus is accepted Christian doctrine (God has Son so that humanity can be redeemed via torturous death of Son).

I did take liberties with the passage from the Sahih Bukhari, since it actually says that God will let a mountain drop on those who wear silk and play musical instruments. Of course, I also left off the part that describes how God will transform the sinners "into monkeys and pigs."

Meanwhile, science specifically and clearly states that your parents were not monkeys. (Technically both you and your parents could be classified as "apes," as could all humans, but that's a nit to pick.) Indeed, if scientists found out that your parents were monkeys then we would be forced to radically rethink all of evolutionary theory as we know it.

Hubbard wrote some passable fiction.
Invasion Earth was the best.
really enjoyed that.
But then the asshat INVENTS a religion to avoid his tax evasion litigation...

I want to read Dianetics, but I'm afraid to actually buy it for fear of showing up on some watch list somewhere.

I want to read Dianetics, but I'm afraid to actually buy it for fear of showing up on some watch list somewhere.

Since the majority of copies are sold to Scientologists who are told to periodically go out and buy multiple copies (to raise money for Scientology), all you have to do is wait for a yard sale, and pick one up for free.

I want to read Dianetics, but I'm afraid to actually buy it for fear of showing up on some watch list somewhere.

At this point ANYTHING you buy will pop up on someone's watchlist somewhere.

I'm pretty sure that someone is investigating my single-day purchase of all of the Foundation Novels by Issac Asimov

Since the majority of copies are sold to Scientologists who are told to periodically go out and buy multiple copies (to raise money for Scientology), all you have to do is wait for a yard sale, and pick one up for free.

The flip side to this is that someone figured out how much it would cost you to get all of hubbards 'wisdom'........ something in the order of $300 000 in books and tapes

but to become a christian , you need to buy a bible (free if you steal gideon's one from his hotel room) and follow the sect you like the best ( Catholic, Baptist etc etc etc)..........cost 0$ (or $10 if you pay for your bible)

But as for Symenon's friend, get them to look up hubbards stuff on the internet and get a balanced view of it


El-Presidente Boris

'Every political protestor in Cypresaria is entitled to a free 9 mm bullet':D

The flip side to this is that someone figured out how much it would cost you to get all of hubbards 'wisdom'........ something in the order of $300 000 in books and tapes

but to become a christian , you need to buy a bible (free if you steal gideon's one from his hotel room) and follow the sect you like the best ( Catholic, Baptist etc etc etc)..........cost 0$ (or $10 if you pay for your bible)

But as for Symenon's friend, get them to look up hubbards stuff on the internet and get a balanced view of it


El-Presidente Boris

'Every political protestor in Cypresaria is entitled to a free 9 mm bullet':D

Shoot, you can go to any church you like and I bet they'll give you a Bible just for the asking.

Shoot, you can go to any church you like and I bet they'll give you a Bible just for the asking.

The Mormons throw their book around like crumbs from the cookie monster too.

I wonder if Muslims will give you a free Qu'ran if you ask at the local mosque?

Yeah, so 2000 years from now, people will think of Scientology as they do Christianity. Scary!

Severely doubt it, Christanity gained followers because the things in it were general plain good advise. Scientology meanwhile tells you to give them money to get rid of the ghosts of space aliens.

Heck I'll just let YTMND handle it again.

http://theunfunnytruth.ytmnd.com/

All belief forms have some things that sound like lunacies:
science: Ever try to understand quantum physics? It doesn't make sense. It's like different people wrote different chunks at different times and they weren't allowed to know what they all wrote.

The "Big Three"(Judaism, Christianity, and Islam)
Some god dude created the universe and all that stuff and needed rest, even though he invented just about everything natural, including resting. Hhmmmm.

Buddhism:
Some fat guy was once rich, but became enlightened and became poor and now a bunch of people listen to what he said and stuff.

Hinduism:
Every animal was once a person or something. Don't eat that hamburger. The cow it came from could be your great grandmother. Those fries, I think that's Hitler, so go knock yourself out and eat them. Oh yeah, there are these gods who did stuff.

Greek/Roman(they're the same thing)
There's a god for everything. Creation(duh), war, love, aminels, animals, etc. You name it, some god is involved heavily in it. Hell, when you die, you apparently get sent to hell. No questions asked. Yeah, the followers obeyed the gods' every whim and they still fry with Hades/Pluto. No wonder that religion died out. It's freak'n scary.

At this point ANYTHING you buy will pop up on someone's watchlist somewhere.
I pay cash for everything. No paper trail.

A couple of days ago I met with an old friend who I haven't seen in ages, during our lunch she began talking to me about how she has managed to put her life back together (she was a wild child in her hey-day) and she gave me a copy of this book that she says helped. Its called Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard.

Since the thing was HUGE I decided I would do a little digging on the internet to get the book in miniature.

After reading several pages on the Wiki about how it is the "holy book" for lack of a better word for an alien cult called Scientology I am in a small state of shock.

I can't mesh the images of an evil alien cult with my now stable friend who is now just, drop-dead normal.

Anyone got any advice?
L. Ron Hubbard was a great writer of pot boiler Science Fiction.
Dianetics was written in 6 weeks to win a bet with John W. Campbell [who was the editor of Analog Science Fiction [then called Astonding]]
Evil I can't say Cult most definatly . How much money did they suck out of your friends bank account?

All belief forms have some things that sound like lunacies

*snip*

Greek/Roman(they're the same thing)
There's a god for everything. Creation(duh), war, love, aminels, animals, etc. You name it, some god is involved heavily in it. Hell, when you die, you apparently get sent to hell. No questions asked. Yeah, the followers obeyed the gods' every whim and they still fry with Hades/Pluto. No wonder that religion died out. It's freak'n scary.

Ah, but Hades/Pluto is just "where you go when you die," not a place of punishment. There were some pretty nice neighborhoods there, as I recall. Elysian Fields, anyone?

Ah, but Hades/Pluto is just "where you go when you die," not a place of punishment. There were some pretty nice neighborhoods there, as I recall. Elysian Fields, anyone?

If god sent everyone to hell, Saint or not, hell would no longer be a punishment as there would be no alternative for the good. My point: everyone went to what I heard was hell just for dying.

Anyway, everything meant to answer questions has some screwy parts, even science. Don't believe me? Check out those quantum physics and whatnot. They expect us to believe all that crap? *insert Twilight Zone themesong*

If god sent everyone to hell, Saint or not, hell would no longer be a punishment as there would be no alternative for the good. My point: everyone went to what I heard was hell just for dying.

Anyway, everything meant to answer questions has some screwy parts, even science. Don't believe me? Check out those quantum physics and whatnot. They expect us to believe all that crap? *insert Twilight Zone themesong*

I admit, quantum physics does make your head hurt a lot, but I also think it's pretty cool to have figured things out to that extent.

Oh, and let me just nudge you a little bit: science isn't really a "belief system" the way religion is, you know.

L. Ron Hubbard was a great writer of pot boiler Science Fiction.
Dianetics was written in 6 weeks to win a bet with John W. Campbell [who was the editor of Analog Science Fiction [then called Astonding]]
Evil I can't say Cult most definatly . How much money did they suck out of your friends bank account?

No clue (but she did mention that she read the book about six months ago).

From what I have been reading Scientology seems to be just plain insane but I don't want to be cut off from my friend since she is a good person.

Maybe I should try and ask her if she'd look at some of the things on the Wiki about Scientology.

A couple of days ago I met with an old friend who I haven't seen in ages, during our lunch she began talking to me about how she has managed to put her life back together (she was a wild child in her hey-day) and she gave me a copy of this book that she says helped. Its called Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard.

Since the thing was HUGE I decided I would do a little digging on the internet to get the book in miniature.

After reading several pages on the Wiki about how it is the "holy book" for lack of a better word for an alien cult called Scientology I am in a small state of shock.

I can't mesh the images of an evil alien cult with my now stable friend who is now just, drop-dead normal.

Anyone got any advice?

Uhh, I swear that I just saw this on Nip/Tuck this week...

No clue (but she did mention that she read the book about six months ago).

From what I have been reading Scientology seems to be just plain insane but I don't want to be cut off from my friend since she is a good person.

Maybe I should try and ask her if she'd look at some of the things on the Wiki about Scientology.

Educate your friend on Operation Snow White (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Snow_White)and also Operation Freakout (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Freakout). Ask her if she believes this to be the actions of a sane organization. I did read somewhere about them murdering one of their "opponents" but can't find the info at the mo. I'll keep looking though. They are nuts.

Educate your friend on Operation Snow White (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Snow_White)and also Operation Freakout (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Freakout). Ask her if she believes this to be the actions of a sane organization. I did read somewhere about them murdering one of their "opponents" but can't find the info at the mo. I'll keep looking though. They are nuts.
It's a religion, so it's necessarily irrational. If you don't criticise people for being religious generally, I don't see how you can criticise people for being Scientologists.

Operation Snow White was actually pretty clever. If I were a Scientologist I think I'd be proud of that one.

A couple of days ago I met with an old friend who I haven't seen in ages, during our lunch she began talking to me about how she has managed to put her life back together (she was a wild child in her hey-day) and she gave me a copy of this book that she says helped. Its called Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard.

Since the thing was HUGE I decided I would do a little digging on the internet to get the book in miniature.

After reading several pages on the Wiki about how it is the "holy book" for lack of a better word for an alien cult called Scientology I am in a small state of shock.

I can't mesh the images of an evil alien cult with my now stable friend who is now just, drop-dead normal.

Anyone got any advice?

Religion is like anti-psychotic medication. The crazier you are, the stronger it has to be. That doesn't make it healthy. That's why normal people don't take thorazine in their multi-vitamins.

If a normal person takes Thorazine, Prozac, or any other strong psychoactive medication they will be noticibly wierd. The same is true of Scientology, Robertsonian Pentacostalism, or Opus Dei Catholocism.

I want to read Dianetics, but I'm afraid to actually buy it for fear of showing up on some watch list somewhere.

Pay cash. No one will know as long as you don't try to avail yourself of any of those "valued customer" promotional offers.

It's a religion, so it's necessarily irrational. If you don't criticise people for being religious generally, I don't see how you can criticise people for being Scientologists.

Operation Snow White was actually pretty clever. If I were a Scientologist I think I'd be proud of that one.

If Operation Snow White had happened recently teh scientologists would all be in Guantanemo! :p

Your friend may appear to be normal, in some sense of the word, but is absolutely batshit insane.

The beliefs of scientology are off the wall. Things like how we're infested by mean alien spirits, how there's an alien Lord imprisoned on Earth, I mean, it's stuff from a sci-fi book!

The religion is a mix of (early on) Hubbard's desire to get rich by defrauding people out of their money, and (later) his drug induced ravings. By the end of his life he was most likely existing on a diet of Mescaline and Methamphetamines. Along with various other exotic drug cocktails.

Pay cash. No one will know as long as you don't try to avail yourself of any of those "valued customer" promotional offers.

Look for a copy in a used bookstore. I'm sure you'll find one.

Anyone got any advice?

They tried to sell me that book when I was home alone when I was about 8 years old. My parents were pissed. I've been a little suspicious of Scientologists since then.

My advice is to be wary of a religion started by a guy who wrote bad science fiction.

The Torah contains a passage describing how God specifically forbids the wearing of mixed fabrics. The story of Jesus is accepted Christian doctrine (God has Son so that humanity can be redeemed via torturous death of Son).

I did take liberties with the passage from the Sahih Bukhari, since it actually says that God will let a mountain drop on those who wear silk and play musical instruments. Of course, I also left off the part that describes how God will transform the sinners "into monkeys and pigs."

Meanwhile, science specifically and clearly states that your parents were not monkeys. (Technically both you and your parents could be classified as "apes," as could all humans, but that's a nit to pick.) Indeed, if scientists found out that your parents were monkeys then we would be forced to radically rethink all of evolutionary theory as we know it.


Are you deliberately missing the point Bottle?
The Law did contain a restriction on mixing fabrics, but focusing on that and spinning your interpretation of it to cast Judaism in the light you wish it to is as honest as the monkey claim.

You can slide bias over partial truths to make just about any point you want to. Comedians do it every single day to make us laugh in the widely popular observational stand up comedy.

Back to the topic though, Scientology doesn't require any bias to provoke the same puzzled response.
Mormons I've talked to sounded entirely rational if you let them present their case and frame it how they want to, it's only when I press into on my own that I find it squirrley.
Scientologists sound bonkers even when you let them do the explaining themselves.

all i have to say is

"lol, scientologist, their crazy"